


The Forgotten: Reconstructing Beth

by shimmer_me_timbers



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-26
Updated: 2015-09-06
Packaged: 2018-01-20 20:29:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1524527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shimmer_me_timbers/pseuds/shimmer_me_timbers
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This follows Beth's journey from the episode Alone on.  Of course I'm speculating what will happen but this is my perfect scenario.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Alone

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own the walking dead or any of its characters. That honor goes to Robert Kirkman and the Powers That Be on AMC. Most of this section comes directly from the episode alone... the last part and the upcoming chapters will clearly deviate from the story we saw but I wanted to lay some foundations before I started right in on Beth's journey.
> 
>  
> 
> As always I welcome constructive feed back. I'll even settle for comments about what you liked/didn't like, what's you'd like to see happen or what you think is going to happen.
> 
> Side note: I'm not completely in love with the title for this, I've always had troubles with titles (even subject lines on emails... it's a real problem) so any suggestions would be welcome!

“Are we close?” Beth whispered, crouching in the leaves with Daryl’s crossbow to the ready.

“Almost done.” Daryl answered.

“How do you know?”

“The signs are all there, you just gotta know how to read em.” Daryl quipped.

Beth lowered the bow and examined the ground.  Daryl had been doing his best to teach her the basics of tracking, and she was doing the best she could to absorb all the information.  He took a hands-off approach to teaching, letting her do most of the work and pointing out her mistakes with a snarky remark and throwing in the odd pointer or two.  So far it was working well; once Daryl pointed out that they spent the first hour and a half following their own tracks.  Beth memorized their boot prints, to avoid repeating her mistake.

“What are we tracking?” Beth asked.

“You tell me…” He said matter-of-factly. “You’re the one that wanted to learn.”

She lowered the cross bow and stood up just giving him a look.  He already yelled at her twice about minding her aim, once she pointed it at Daryl while she asked a question and the second time she almost shot her foot off.  She took extra care now not to repeat that mistake.  He was right, she did ask for him to show her some tips, and she was going to prove she was listening.  Beth cleared her mind and gazed at the ground examining the foliage for any signs of displacement.

“Well, something came through here.  The pattern is all zig-zaggy.”

Daryl silently shadowed his eager student as she began following a trail of displaced leaves that weaved across the ground.

“It’s a walker!” Beth’s face lit up.

“Or a drunk.”

“I’m getting good at this.” Beth beamed, lifting the cross bow back up to position. “Pretty soon I won’t need you at all.”

“Yeah.” Daryl grunted with a little mockingly dismissive wave. “Keep on trackin’.”

Beth crouched low and followed the path left by the walker.  The trail lead to a small open patch of ground surrounded by old pines and giant oaks.  Beth could hear the walker’s groans before she made it to the edge of the clearing. 

“It’s got a gun.” Beth noticed.

Daryl gave Beth a quick nod of approval. She assessed the situation and realized that the creature’s back was towards them and he was focused on whatever poor creature he was devouring for an afternoon snack, it looked like some sort of bird.  The best plan of attack would be to come up behind him and shoot a bolt through the back of his head before he knew anyone was there.  Daryl was running low on bolts so they had to make every one count.

She wasn’t the best shot with the crossbow yet, she was still getting used to the weight.  It was heavy but it was quiet and didn't have the same kick-back a gun did, she could see why Daryl was so attached.  Slowly she crept into the clearing, getting closer to ensure her accuracy minding her footfalls and praying that she was quiet enough to avoid detection.  One more step and Beth would be at the perfect distance to take the creature out but as her foot hit the ground a sharp pain surged through her heal sending her to her knees with a loud thud.  A small animal trap bit through the heel of Beth’s left boot, the more she wiggle the tighter the jaws of the trap clenched.

The walker dropped his feast and turned around.  Beth’s stomach churned when she saw the decaying flesh and dead eyes that now thought of her as dinner.  Ignoring the pain in her foot Beth held up the cross bow and let a bolt fly, the walker was too fast and it only managed to clip him in the cheek and was hanging out of his rotting mouth.  The walker was unfazed and kept approaching but with Beth’s foot caught she couldn’t reload the bow and have another try.  Instead Beth tossed Daryl his bow as he came stampeding by.   The seasoned hunter finished off the walker with one sharp blow with the butt of the bow.

With the walker dispatched Daryl made quick work of disarming the small trap before it caused any more damage. Beth took a few deep and calming breaths before attempting to wiggle her foot.  It hurt something fierce but at least it moved.

“Can you move it?” Daryl crouched down and delicately examined Beth’s foot.

 “Yeah.”  She said with a faint smile.

Daryl set back on his heels and wiped his hands over his face, this girl was going to be the death of him.  He sauntered over to the dispatched walker, pulled the gun belt from its waist, and raided the creatures tattered pockets.  He tossed the belt to Beth and plucked some viable feathers from what was left of the walker's meal.  Daryl almost missed the small black pouch with three thin throwing knives peeking out of the corpse’s boot.  He pried it free to He also found a thin black pouch holding a miniature hunting blade, the hilt was merely a frame with a leather strap braded between the posts.  

"Here, I think you earned this." He bent down and slipped a thin piece of fabric into Beth's left boot.  "Keep it in your boot, they’re thin and no one will notice.  It probably won't take down a walker or hunting... you have your hunting knife for that... but they might come be useful during a pinch."

"Thank you." Beth smiled.

“We need to find a place to camp for tonight.  Do you think you can walk?”

“I can try.”

Daryl stood up and brushed himself off and reloaded the crossbow before slinging it over his shoulder.   Quietly he reached out his hand and hauled Beth to her feet.  While Beth strapped the gun belt on her waist, Daryl picked up a bunch of twigs and shoved them into the bag on Beth's back.  Beth hobbled along for a few steps before her grumpy companion put her arm around his neck and snaked his arm around her waist so she could lean on him for support.  They walked like this in silence through the clearing, through a short span of woods, and out through the tree line.

“Can we hold up a sec?” Beth asked, letting go of Daryl and crouching to catch her breath and relieve the pressure on her heel.

“You alright?”  Daryl tried to hide the concern in his voice.

“I just need to sit down.” Beth answered reluctantly.

They stopped momentarily so Beth could catch her breath and Daryl could take in their surroundings.  Beth noticed that Daryl was constantly checking out his surroundings either for signs of danger or a reference point.

Off in the distance stood a great old Georgian plantation house, it had to be older than Hershel’s farm.  It was big and beautiful and white.  Between them and the house lay a huge span of grave yard, with a wide array of head stones, statues, and mausoleums.

“Alright, hold up.” Daryl said. “Hop on.”

Beth couldn’t help but stare as her companion slung his cross bow across the front of his chest and crouched down waiting for her to hop on his back.

 “You serious?”

“Yes, it’s a serious piggy back.” Daryl bantered. “Jump up.”

With no other options, Beth took a deep breath and did as she was told.  Her only concern was breaking Daryl’s back before they made it to safety.

“You’re heavier than you look.” Daryl joked, straightening up and walking towards the house through the grave yard.

“Maybe there are people there.” Beth suggested.

“Yeah, if there are I’ll handle ‘em.”

“There’s still good people Daryl.”

“I don’t think the good ones survive.”

They walked silently towards the house; the only noise was Daryl’s strained breathing.  Beth examined all the worn head stones as they passed through.   Men, women, and children all from various points in history, lay to rest and be at peace.   Beth wondered if they were happy they didn’t have to see the world like this. 

Beth’s breath hitched at she read the engravings on one of the headstones.  Daryl slowed down and she hopped off his back to get a closer look.  She gazed at the words in stone, reminding her of the things she left behind and the people she would never see again.  Her eyes misted over as she read the words “beloved father”.

Daryl followed her gaze to the tombstone that lay in front of them; it didn’t take much to understand what Beth was thinking about.  Daryl pulled a few dandelions from a nearby patch of weeds, they were the closest thing they’d be able to find to flowers, and laid them on the top of the grave. Hershel may have been Beth’s blood but he was the closest thing to a father figure that Daryl ever had.  Words couldn’t describe how much he would miss that tough old bastard. 

They stood there in silent reverence, thinking about Hershel.  Daryl felt Beth slowly grab hold of his hand.  If it had been anyone else he would’ve pulled away but after everything they’d been through their interlocking fingers gave him a sense of peace and comfort. 

“Come on, let’s head to the house.” Daryl grudgingly broke the silence.

He crouched down again until the little blonde was situated on his back and resumed their trek to the big house.  Once they reached the porch he set her down and went to the door.  He listened silently; the door gave a wine of protest when he pushed it open.  He thumped on the door frame a few times to make their presence known to any walkers or residents in the house followed by a sharp whistle.   A few minutes passed with no noise and no signs of movement.

“Give it a minute.” Daryl whispered.  Beth wasn’t sure if he was thinking out loud or if that was directed to her.

Daryl gave the entry way a quick sweep and motioned for Beth to come in and close the door behind her.  Daryl gave the first floor a sweep while Beth took in their new safe haven.  They were in a beautiful home the walls had pretty floral wall paper, trimmed with white wooden accents.  A large staircase stood directly in front of them and to the left and right were viewing rooms.  

“It’s clean.” Beth observed.

“Yeah, someone’s been tending to it.” Daryl sounded concerned and interested. “They may still be around."

Beth followed Daryl into the room to their left.  It had another pale floral wall paper and was decorated with dark wood antique furniture.  On the far wall from the door lay an open casket with a body inside.  Daryl bent down for a closer look, when he dragged his fingers along the corpse’s cheek Daryl bit back a gag as flesh and mortician’s makeup flaked off, leaving gooey residue on Daryl’s fingers.

They continued their sweep into the basement.  All they found was a small room where they suspected the mortician did most of his (or her) work.  Daryl riffled through the cabinets while Beth examined the faces of the two dead men lying before her.  They looked nothing like the decaying walkers she’d seen in the past moths, but she guessed that the makeup was opaque enough to cover up the rotting look.

Daryl cleared his throat when he pulled some bandages out of the cupboard.   He stood with his back to the wall ripping into the packages with his teeth.

 “Let’s get that ankle wrapped.”  Daryl saw one of the half painted corpses that Beth was examining. “Looks like somebody ran out of dolls.”

“It’s beautiful.” Beth countered. “Whoever did this cared.  They wanted these people to get a funeral.  They remembered these things were people before all this.  They didn’t let it change them in the end... Don’t you think that’s beautiful?”

Daryl didn’t answer; he just stared at Beth with an odd look.  He had forgotten that these were once people; all he could see were the monsters they became.  It was just easier to see things that way.

“Come on.” He said quietly, helping Beth sit on the counter so he could examine her foot.

He slid off her boot and shucked her sock, carefully lifting her foot to examine it.  There were a few breaks in the skin but those would close in a day or so, the rest was bruising.  She could move it and he couldn’t feel any broken bones or unusual swelling, which was a plus.  He was no doctor but you learn the basics of self-diagnosing when you live with ass holes.

“Your boot saved your foot, if you weren’t wearing those damn things you’d have a bloody and broken heel.”

“Thank God I didn’t wear my pumps.” Beth joked.

“I think it should be good in a couple of days.” Daryl stated as he wrapped some gauze around Beth’s heel and ankle to protect the small nicks and reinforce the stability of her ankle.  “Let’s go see if they have a kitchen.”

Daryl disappeared up the steps, Beth hobbling up behind him.  Once Daryl swept the top floor they found a few bed rooms and a small kitchen.  The kitchen was crisp, white, and clean just like the rest of the house.  The refrigerator was useless so they didn’t even bother looking through it; they just opened up all the cupboards and cabinets they found.

“Dang it.” Beth breathed as her first few cabinets were empty.  All she found was a box of matches, some broken utensils, and a ceramic mug with a crack down the side that was missing a handle. “You find anything?”

She turned to see Daryl standing with a double cabinet opened revealing a large pay load of goods.

“Woah!”  Beth could hear her stomach growl.

“Peanut butter and jelly, diet soda, and pigs feet.” Daryl rattled off the contents of the cabinet. “That’s a white trash brunch right there.”

“It all looks good to me.”

Daryl’s mouth quirked at the thought of Beth Green at a white trash brunch.  She and her family were the farthest things from white trash.  And he’d seen a lot of them.  He snickered to himself, pulling out the jar of pigs feet.

“Hold up.” Daryl examined the jar in his hand. “There aint a speck of dust on this.”

“So?”

“It means somebody just put it here.  This is somebody’s stash… maybe they’re still alive.”  Daryl processed this for a few seconds. “Alright, we’ll take some of it and we’ll leave the rest.  Alright?”

“I knew it.” Beth smiled.

“Knew what?” Daryl asked sheepishly as he opened a jar of jelly.

“It’s like I said… there’s still good people.”  Beth looked at him as though he were her case and point.

Daryl didn't say anything he just plunged his hand into the jelly jar and scooped a handful of its sweet contents into his mouth.  Devouring it like an animal.

“Gross.” Beth squealed hobbling over to a nearby table with a jar of peanut butter.

“Hey, those pigs feet are mine.” Daryl shouted with a mouth full of jelly.

 Beth stuck her finger into the jar of peanut butter, she felt a little guilty but there were no utensils anymore.  She breathed in the nutty aroma of the peanut butter, how she missed the simple joys of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Beth delicately licked the peanut butter off her finger and let out a small sigh of pleasure and contentment. Daryl watched her with one eyebrow raised.  Beth blushed slightly but continued to enjoy her jar of peanut butter.

When they'd eaten their fill Daryl pulled out the bird feathers and branches he'd stuffed into Beth's bag.  He lay them out on the table, Beth looked at him questioningly.

"Now we're gonna make more bolts." Daryl pulled a small bottle of glue out of his pocket.

"Where'd you find that?"

"Found it when I got the bandages for your foot." Daryl boasted. "Now don't change the subject.  I saw your cell in the prison, you love this arts and crafts shit."

Without words Daryl showed Beth how to whittle a bolt with her hunting knife, it didn't have to be perfect it just had to fit in the crossbow and have a fine point.  Beth enjoyed her lesson on making and attaching the fletching.  By sun set they had two dozen new bolts laying on the counter to dry.

Daryl stood in the middle of the kitchen deciding what to do next. When a though popped into his head, he shrugged off his vest and placed it on the table.  He quietly picked up the cracked mug Beth found during their kitchen raid and placed it upside down on the table in front of him.

“What are you doing with that?” Beth inquired.

She got no verbal response and understood that her companion needed some quiet time.  Daryl pulled out his hunting knife and placed it at an angle on the unfinished ring of the mug on the very bottom, where the natural hardened clay was devoid of any glaze.  He quietly ran the blade at an angle from hilt to tip on the bare ceramic.  He paid meticulous attention to the task in front of him, counting each pass and repeating the same amount on the other side.  When he was done he made a few similar passes with the knife on the label of his leather vest.

Beth pulled out her hunting knife and parroted the lesson she just saw.  After the first pass of the knife over the clay, Daryl reached over and tilted the knife to slightly higher angle.  Once he was content with her form Beth counted to make sure she made as many passes on one side as she did on the other.  When the knife was sufficiently sharpened Beth passed it off to Daryl to run across the lapel of his leather jacket while she started on her new boot knife.

She didn’t know where he learned this trick or why he was teaching her but at that moment Beth felt like someone was truly looking out for her.  There was a tinge of sadness when Daryl taught her to be self-sufficient, not that she wasn’t grateful but because it was like he was preparing her for life without him.  The room was quiet and peaceful; the only sound in the room was the rhythmic scraping of metal on ceramic. 

 

As the sun set Daryl headed out to the porch to set some extra alarms, he tied some old cans together on a long piece of twine and hung them across the porch.  Any walker that even attempted to get to the front door would cause enough of a commotion to warn the duo inside.

Beth hobbled around the small rooms on the first floor; she was able to find a box of matches and a hoard of candles that would last anyone a good year.  She grabbed the matches and an armful of tea lights and went off in search for a place to bunk down for the night.  Daryl suggested they stayed on the second floor in one of the empty viewing rooms.  At the top of the stairs there was a small viewing room with an empty casket and a piano.  It made her miss the old wooden piano she grew up playing, she would practice for hours on end until her mama would beg her to take a break and finish her school work.

 She lit a few dozen votive candles and placed them around the room to create a soft glow.  She shoved the box of matches in her pocked for later.  It wasn’t a campfire but with the curtains closed no one would know they were there.  She glanced longingly at the piano, remembering the days before the world went to hell and she still had her family.  Finally she gave into the urge and sat down quietly playing and singing until Daryl came back inside.

 Daryl followed the sounds of music that floated down the steps.  He could hear Beth’s airy voice and quiet chords.  Any other time it would’ve annoyed him but peeking into the dimly lit viewing room Beth seemed so at peace.  He just stood in the doorway letting the melody wash over him long enough to calm his mind.  He had no idea what the song was, which was usual when it came to Beth.  Even when she serenaded Little Ass Kicker she sang whatever song popped into her head.  Daryl gave her a few minutes before he cleared his throat to make his presence known.  She had been so lost in her own little world that the noise caught her off guard; she whirled around almost falling off the piano bench.

“The place is nailed up tight.” Daryl took a few awkward steps into the room and rested his cross bow on an antique couch next to the door.  “The only way in is through the front door.”

He ran his hands over the frame of the empty coffin that lay in the front of the room.  Thinking for a few seconds he kicked off his boots and hopped in.  Beth looked puzzled when her companion stretched out in the wooden box like he’d done it every night.

“What are you doing?” She asked.

“This is the comfiest bed I’ve had in years.” Daryl sighed.

“Really?”

“I aint kidding.” He shifted around until he got comfortable.

The last time he was in a comfortable bed was at Hershel’s farm the night that he fell off his horse looking for Sophia, fell down a gorge, impaled himself with an arrow, walked a few miles back to the farm and was grazed by one of Andrea’s bullets.  Once he was patched up Hershel, Patricia, and Beth took turns looking in on him.  His heart sank just thinking about all the people from that memory that he’d lost – everyone but Beth.

“Why don’t you go ahead and play some more?  Keep singing.” Daryl suggested.

“I thought my singing annoyed you.”

Daryl just quirked a smile and grunted. “There aint no juke box though.”

 Beth smiled and spun back around on the piano bench.  Before long her airy singing filled the room.  Daryl just watched her from his coffin bed, watching Beth light up as the music continued.  How could she conjure up so much joy in such a dark place and time?  This whole time Daryl thought that Beth was just a naïve little girl who sang songs in the middle of a crisis for attention.  He finally was starting to realize that it was those moments when the group needed to take their minds off the darkness and remember the simple joys, even if that meant singing a silly song in the middle of a walker riddled prison. 

“Now I'm laughing at my boredom, at my string of failed attempts…” her voice trailed off as Daryl fell into the most peaceful sleep he’d had in well, ever.

 

 Daryl woke up the next morning to the afternoon sun peeking through the middle of the curtains.  He bolted upright searching the room for Beth, almost knocking his coffin bed off its stand. He cursed himself for sleeping so long and not getting up to keep watch.  Scanning the room in a panic, his heart rate slowed when he saw Beth asleep on the sofa curled around his crossbow.  Her matted golden hair flared out on the cushion like a halo while she slept peacefully.  Beth’s eyelids flew open and she sat up with a look of horror when she heard Daryl jump out of the coffin and pull his boots back on.

“Oh my God… I’m so sorry, you fell asleep and I was trying to be nice and take first watch but I was stupid and fell asleep too.” Beth panicked.

“’sokay” Daryl said in his gravelly voice.

“No it’s not.” Beth scolded herself.

“Fine, tonight I’ll take first shift.  We can switch off every couple hours.” 

He knew he should be mad but it was a rough few days and they were both in one piece.  Working out a schedule would be better than letting her beat herself up.  They were both exhausted and she had a foot that needed healing.

“Let’s go down and see what else we can find in the pantry.  I’m thinking it’s time for some pigs feet… maybe covered in peanut butter.”

“That’s disgusting.” Beth laughed.

Daryl couldn’t help but smile as he helped Beth to her feet, her laughter was infectious.  He followed close behind as the little blonde hobbled towards the steps.

“Come on woman, I’m hungry.”

 “I’m going as fast as I can.” She giggled.

Daryl scooped up Beth and carried her down the stairs and into the kitchen.  His breathing was labored as he kicked open the kitchen door.  She was surprisingly heavy for a petite girl, or maybe Daryl was getting a little out of shape.  He’d prefer to think it was the former rather than the latter.

“There you go.” Daryl sat Beth down at the kitchen table with a sigh of relief. “Alright, let’s eat.”

Daryl sat down across from his companion and cracked open a fresh jar of pigs feet.  He didn't even get the first one out when they heard rattling cans on the porch.  Beth’s smile faded and her face paled, she knew her foot was still too injured to be of much use.  Daryl picked up his cross bow and headed for the door.

“Stay.” He said firmly, usually he commanded but this was more like an urgent request.

Beth nodded but hobbled over to the kitchen door while Daryl loaded his crossbow and slipped down the hall.  He peaked out the slats on the front door but couldn’t see a thing.  Deciding to take a chance he cracked the door open and peaked outside.  Standing on the front porch was a shaggy looking one eyed dog.

“It’s just a damn dog.” Daryl called to Beth.

The dog looked a little weary when Daryl crouched down and slowly extended a hand for him to sniff.

“Hey.” Daryl cooed. “Come ‘ere boy.”

Daryl inched closer to the dog but apparently his movements were too abrupt.  The dog let out a bark and scampered off the porch and out of sight, rattling a few tin cans on his way out.  Daryl stared after him puzzled, dogs usually liked him.

Daryl closed the door and turned around almost falling over when Beth materialized in the doorway.

“He wouldn’t come in?”

“I thought I told you to stay in the kitchen.”

“Yeah, but Daryl you said there was a dog.” She smiled sheepishly.

“Maybe he’ll come back around.” Daryl wished aloud. “Come on.”

He grabbed Beth’s arm to support her as they walked back into the kitchen. 

 

“I didn’t do it for attention.” Beth said absent mindedly tracing the thing pink scar on her inner wrist.

“Huh?”

“Back at the farm, I didn’t do it for the attention.” Beth explained. “I did it because I lost hope.  I was in this deep dark place and there was no way out.  But when Andrea… well when I broke the mirror and held the glass to my skin I realized that I was being selfish and stupid.  That’s not who I am and that’s not who I wanted to be.”

They sat in silence as Daryl processed Beth’s words.  He had confided in her just a few days ago, now she was doing the same.  She was right, she wasn’t Michonne, Carol, Maggie or hell even Andrea but there was no doubt in Daryl’s mind that there was a reason Beth was still alive.  She wasn’t physically the strongest but she had this sort of inner strength, an emotional strength that was unique to her.  Something that Daryl was secretly jealous of.

Beth stared silently at the jar of peanut butter in her hand, lost in thought.  Daddy and Patricia made her swear never to tell anyone, not even Maggie.  But they were gone now and someone had to know… just in case.

 “I also did it to protect everyone.” Beth confessed.

“From what?” Daryl was confused.

She slowly stood up and lifted the hem of her shirt a little and pulled the left side of her jeans down a few inches to expose her hip bone.  Daryl’s heart all but stopped when he saw the jagged pink sunburst shaped scar.  To the normal person it would look like an average scar, but with Daryl’s skill set he knew it for what it really was… a bite mark.

“The hell is that?” He stood up so fast his chair flew across the room.

“Exactly what it looks like.”

“How is that possible? That’s got to be at least a year old.” He leaned in and hesitantly traced the puckered skin.

“That day back at the farm when ya’ll opened the barn.” Beth confessed.  “I was so terrified when mama grabbed me I didn’t notice that she bit me.  Luckily in all the melee no one else noticed either.”

“But you didn’t turn?” Daryl quietly returned to his chair.

“Dunno.  Daddy thought it was because I had to get a meningitis shot for school and few months before the walkers came I got bit by a raccoon I chased out of the hen house during the day.  So the rabies shot and the meningitis shot might’ve helped me through it.”

“Helped you through it?" Daryl asked.

“The change.”

The room was silent.  The question Daryl wanted to ask hung in the air; Beth could see it written on his face.  He desperately wanted to know but he was too afraid to ask. 

“My body ached all over and I could feel it revolt against me.  When no one was watching I snuck off to throw up blood.  I made sure to bleach the entire bathroom just in case.  My head pounded and my bones felt like glass, that’s when I collapsed in the kitchen.” Tears flowed down Beth’s face as she confessed things never even told her dad. “Everything was on fire, like I was burning from the inside out.  But the worst part were the nightmares about those things and the horrible things they could do… and the worst of all was I was one of them.”

“But you woke up?”

“I heard Maggie, I knew she needed me.  But I woke up in that dark place where I was terrified that I would still become one of them.   And terrified I’d hurt everyone I loved.” Beth traced the small pink line that rekindled her desire to live. “I promised Daddy that I wouldn’t try anything stupid again… as long as he promised to put me down at the first sign of turning.”

Daryl grumbled. “I aint no scientist or nothin but a girl who’s survived a bite is probably in high demand. So don’t tell no one.”

“I wanted to tell Rick… but Daddy kept sayin the time wasn’t right.”

Though the conversation turned heavy, Daryl finally understood that all those days and nights Hershel spent hovering over his youngest daughter weren’t just to protect her… it was to protect the group from her too.  But as time went on he knew it was less likely that she would turn and what better person to have looking over an infant than a disease resistant one.

 

They’d slept longer than they originally thought because they were still sitting at the table when the sun set.

“I’m going to leave a thank you note.” Beth stated.

She pulled a pen and her journal out of her back pocket.  Daryl studied his companion quietly while she scribbled a note then turned his attention back to his half devoured jar of jelly.

“Why?”

“For when they come back.  If they come back...” She said slowly. “Even if they’re not coming back I still want to say thanks.”

“Maybe you don’t have to leave that.” Daryl suggested as he stared into the jelly jar, he could feel Beth’s eyes on him. “Maybe we can stick around here for a while.  If they come back we’ll just make it work.  It may be nuts, but maybe it’ll be alright.”

He looked up to meet Beth’s gaze.

“So you do think that there are still good people around.” She beamed.

Daryl shrugged in non-committal sort of agreement.

“What changed your mind?”

Daryl looked away shyly. “You know.”

“What?” she pried.

Daryl gave the “I don’t know” grunt.

“Don’t ‘I don’t know’ me.” Beth said coyly trying to coax an answer out of Daryl. “What changed your mind?”

Daryl didn’t answer he just met her gaze.  He wasn’t much for feeling or putting them into words so how was he supposed to tell this angelic young woman that even though the world is shattered she convinced him that there are good people.  And that she was one of them.  More importantly how could he tell this young woman that she was far stronger than even she knew?

“Oh.” Beth breathed as it dawned on her what the answer was in the silence.

They sat staring quietly at each other trying to figure out what to say or do next.  The silence was broken by rattling cans and a dog barking.  Daryl jumped out of his chair, using this opportunity to avoid the current turn of topics before he admitted anything else.

“I’mma give that mut one more chance.” He grumbled, pulling a pigs foot from the jar.

He sauntered out to the front door and swung the door open without a second thought.  His face paled as a dozen walkers stood before him.  Daryl threw the door closed and braced it with his back as the walkers threw themselves against it in hopes of finding entry.

“BETH!” Daryl screamed. “BETH!”

The little blonde scurried from the kitchen, loaded crossbow in hand.  She processed the situation and threw Daryl his weapon.

“GO! RUN!” He shouted.

Beth scurried back into the kitchen.  Daryl ran towards the kitchen doorway and spun around to fire at a few of the walkers that flooded through the door.  He clipped the first walker dead center of the head, the bolt pierced straight through sending a spray of blood as the walker crumbling to the ground. There were too many, he didn’t have the time to reload his bow.

“BETH GO OUT THE WINDOW.  GET YOUR SHIT!  LET’S GO!” Daryl screamed as he lead the walkers through the funeral home and away from Beth.

“I’M NOT GOING TO LEAVE YOU!” She screamed back.

“GET OUT AND GO UP THE ROAD, I’LL MEET YOU THERE!” He commanded as he formulated an escape plan.

Beth had no choice but to follow his orders, with her injured foot she’d be more of a liability on the inside.  It physically hurt to leave him behind to fend off the walkers and make a grand escape.

It took a bit of effort to quietly pry the boards off of the first floor window.  She used her hunting knife to pry out the nails and loosen the boards.  Within minutes there was a small enough gap for her to wiggle her way through.  She hiked her backpack high on her shoulders, checked to make sure her gun belt was secure and wiggled her way through the window.

She landed on all fours in a soft bed of dirt.  She ignored the throbbing in her heal as she ran towards the trees that hid their meeting spot.  She had her hunting knife in her hand, ready to pounce on any walker that crossed her.  Unfortunately she didn’t hear this hisses coming from behind her.  A sharp yank pulled the bag off of Beth’s back and sent her flying head first into a large tree.  She cupped the right side of her head with her free hand as she staggered to regain her balance.  The world swam and her head throbbed, she could feel bile rise in her throat but she couldn’t give up.

It took a few blinks for her eyes to focus on the walker standing before her.  Beth kicked her leg out catching the walker behind the knee with a crunch, sending it teetering to the ground.  The creature flailed and hissed as it tried to get back on its feet.  Beth crouched down mustering all her force and with one swift motion drove her hunting knife into the walker’s skull.  The walker went limp.

The world was spinning and Beth fell to her knees, she could feel the slick blood starting just above her right temple and rolling down the side of her face.  Through the haze she forced herself to her legs and ran.  A loud screech pierced through the darkness and Beth’s legs went out from under her.  She felt as though she were in a dream as the tall stranger shoved her into the passenger’s seat of a dark sedan.

“No.” she mumbled. “Daryl…”

“You’re fine.” A deep voice cut through the haze. “We’re taking you some place safe.”

“Daryl…”

Her vision tunneled as the mystery man turned the key and the engine roared to life.  She tried to stay with it and protest; they needed to back for Daryl.  He saved her, now it was her turn to save him.  Her mumbles fell on deaf ears.  Her vision dimmed as she looked in the rear view mirror, the last thing she saw was Daryl running after the car screaming and the faint sound of a car crossing train tracks.  After that, the world faded.


	2. Grady Memorial: Day 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the beginning of Beth's journey away from Daryl. She has to make the conscious decision to do give up or do what Beth does best... adapt to survive.
> 
> This is Beth's first day of her new life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that I have seen all of season 5 I decided to go in a different direction and run with the Grady Memorial story line. Why you ask? Simple... I abhor the character of Father Gabriel and don't want to make him a hero.
> 
>  
> 
> Harsh I know but his character irks me.

Beth was aware of a sharp throbbing in her forehead and arm, her chest tightened when she remembered being separated from Daryl.  Even in the times BEFORE the epidemic this type of situation never fared well for girls like her.  Thinking it best to feign sleep, Beth cracked her eyelids and peaked through her lashes.  Daryl told her that it’s best to take in your surroundings without alerting anyone.  She was lying in what appeared to be a small hospital room with a functioning wall clock.  The sun snuck between the slats of the blinds on a large window to her right.

Realizing she was alone, Beth slowly sat up.  Her head swam with a fresh concussion as she threw back the covers; she was clad only in a hospital gown a few sizes too big.  She brought her left hand to her face to trace the long chain of stitched that held the wound on her cheekbone closed.  An IV bag was tethered to her left forearm and her wrist throbbed beneath a hard splint on the other.  Beth worked her way to the edge of the bed slowly and quietly, she had no idea how long she was out and prayed her legs still had the strength to support her.

Walking to the large window her legs wobbled slightly beneath the weight of her body but the IV pole attached to her arm helped her stay steady on her feet. Peeking through the slats she could tell she was high enough to pull the blinds.  Three stories below her lay a decaying town.

Surveying her surroundings she realized that she was in a small dimly lit hospital room.  There was a small bathroom attached, a wall clock and a hospital bed.  Taking a chance Beth paddled over to the door, she tried jiggling the handle but it was locked tight.  Beth paused before she flipped the light switch.  A gasp of surprise escaped her lips when the lights flickered on.  But how was that possible?

Weighing her options, Beth thought the best course of action would be to size up her captors.  Putting on her best façade of a terrified young girl – which at this point wasn’t hard to do – Beth pounded on the door and called for help.  Convinced that someone heard her Beth backed away from the door and pulled her IV to use as a lame attempt at a make shift weapon.

A man in a lab coat a dark hair woman in a police uniform came busing through the door.  He was tall and medium build with glasses that hid kind eyes and a beard that was little more than a five o’clock shadow. While she was a petite woman in every sense of the word, the dark hair that was pulled back into a sleek bun made the woman look like she hadn’t seen the sun in years.  One glance at the woman’s freshly pressed police uniform and Beth knew that this woman was overcompensating, trying to get people to overlook her gender and stature to see her as “one of the guys”.

“Everything’s okay… okay?” the doctor said calmly. “We’re here to help, not harm.”

“Put it down.” The officer ordered, her eyes flicking back and forth between Beth’s face and the needle in her hand. “Drop it right now.”

It was obvious that the best course of action was to do as the woman said.  Beth reluctantly dropped her make shift weapon and backed a few inches away from her captors.  As soon as the duo saw that their blonde captive was willing to comply; their guarded stances softened and the doctor put his hands in his pockets.

“I’m Doctor Steven Edwards and this is Officer Dawn Learner.” The doctor continued in a kind tone. “How are you feeling?”

“Where am I?” Beth inquired.

“Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.”

“How did I get here?”

“My officers found you on the side of the road surrounded by rotters.” Dawn explained.

“Your wrist was fractured; thanks to that cast you should be good as new in a few weeks.  There are abrasions down your left side, mainly around your shoulder blade and a large contusion on your left thigh.” Dr. Stevens used medical jargon but his words sounded slightly cryptic. “You sustained a superficial facial wound that required a few stitches and may even have a minor concussion.  Can you remember your name?”

“Beth.” She answered weakly, staring at the floor.

She didn’t have to look up to know that Officer Dawn Learner was staring at her, wondering how such a weak girl could survive so long on the outside.

“The man I was with…” Beth almost stopped there but she had to know. “Is he here too?”

“You were alone.  If we hadn’t saved you, you’d be one of them right now.” Dawn paused “So you owe us.”

There was an ominous undertone to Dawn’s final words.  They hung in the air while Dawn stared at her captive.  It was clear that her sanctuary came with a price.

“Beth, you’ve been cooped up in here for a while sleeping, would you like to come on my rounds with me?” Dr. Edwards abruptly changed the subject.

“Sure.”

“There is a set of scrubs on the table next to your bed,” Dawn explained. “I’m going to go back to work but Dr. Edwards will be in the hall waiting for you.”

Beth slipped into the decently fitting scrubs and worn in tennis shoes.  She put up a mental wall; not allowing herself to ponder the fate of the shoe’s former owner.  Dr. Edwards led the way down the dark hall; a faint beeping noise grew louder as they approached their destination.  Inside a room much like Beth’s lay a middle aged man hooked up to a breathing machine and monitors.  Everything was tethered to three large batteries tucked under the patient’s bed.

“A couple of them were out there on a run a week ago.  They found two boxes of bisquick, a dirty tape at a truck stop, and this gentleman under a bridge.”  The doctor explained to Beth as though she was one of his interns. “Cardiac arrest and extreme dehydration.  I tried to do what I could but he’s unresponsive.”

The doctor bowed his head for a moment and detached the man’s breathing apparatus until his heart rate flat lined on the monitor.

“Wait…” Beth was confused. “That’s it?”

“If patients don’t show any signs of improvement… well… Dawn calls it.” Dr. Edwards stuttered and started detaching the equipment from the batteries. “I don’t particularly care for it but unfortunately supplies are scarce so we can’t afford to waste them.”

Beth stood at the foot of the man’s bed watching him seconds after his life slipped away.  The doctor walked to the deceased patient’s bedside and quietly slid what looked like an ice pick into the man’s temple.  Beth knew it had to be done but it wasn’t a happy sight. The doctor draped a thin white sheet over the corpse, Beth lamented on how the world may be different but some things never change.

“Okay, now this is what I need your help with.” The doctor explained. “Help me move him, I’ll tell you which directions to go.”

Beth helped the doctor secure the lifeless corpse to the gurney and glide through the hallways.  They stopped momentarily so the doctor could give Dawn a recap of all efforts done and supplies used to try and revive their patient.  While they droned on Beth noticed a guy about her age mopping the floor at the end of the hall.  From what she could tell he was tall and about her age.  She tried not to stare at her possible ally in fear of drawing attention to herself. 

Her eyes flicked to the left to see a male officer leaving a female patient’s room.  The girl’s long brown hair was messy and her eyes were puffy.  She deliberately averted her gaze away from Beth, pretending to be invisible as she slowly closed her door.  An icy shiver ran up Beth’s spine.

“Come on,” Dawn brought Beth’s attention back to the task at hand. “Body’s getting cold.”

Beth resumed her position at the foot of the gurney and followed Dawn down the labyrinth of halls.  Finally they stopped at a set of double doors long enough for Dawn to unlock them.  When her job was done Dawn gave the doctor a curt nod and head back into the main ward.

“How many people live here?” Beth asked when Dawn disappeared.

“I’m the only doctor but we have thirteen police officers and now that Mr. Jenkins here has passed you’re the ninth ward here.  Some of us started here, some came as patients… but everyone has a job to keep us going.”

“Why so few wards?”

“Now that the officers are down to two working cars they only go out twice a week… yesterday and today happen to be supply and rescue days.”  The doctor gazed sadly and the figure on his gurney. “Well… we can’t rescue them all.”

“Can’t we bury him?”

“I wish we could, but we only go out when we need to.  This may not be the most dignified body disposal system but we work with what we have.” The doctor explained as he removed the sheet from the corpse. “We’ve managed to secure and guard the stair wells.  But the windows are blown out on the first floor and the rotters find their way into the basement.  Then they hear a noise, when the body is warm… or warm enough… they make a bit of a mess but it keeps them from wondering towards our wing.”

“Use everything you can use.” Beth said darkly.

“Plus it’s the fastest way down.” He grunted as he tilted the gurney letting the body slide off and down the elevator shaft.

Beth’s stomach churned when the body hit the elevator shaft wall with a noise that was halfway between a the crunching sound of gravel and a splat.  A few seconds later it hit the bottom of the shaft, landing on the floor with a cartoonish thud.  Then the hissing and groans of walkers at the bottom grew louder.

“Come on, we don’t need to hear this.” Dr. Edwards said with a grim smile.  “Why don’t you go get us some dinner and meet me in my office?”

 

Beth found her way to the dining hall.  There was a faint rumbling in her stomach; the last thing she ate was peanut butter in the funeral home with Daryl the night before.  The dining hall was a quiet little room with two buffets set up in an ‘L’ shape and supervised by two people in scrubs.  Beth grabbed a tray and dug in.

“You’re looking better and better.” A man’s voice carried across the food bar.

Beth looked up to see an average every day man with dark hair dressed in a police uniform and scribbling on a clip board.  He exuded arrogance, the kind that was all talk and no show.  An almost predatorily look plastered across his face as he swaggered closer, like a fox creeping up on a bunny. He was a far cry from the last law man she encountered, and grown to love as family.  But she pushed all thoughts of Rick and her family aside for now, she had a feeling she would need all the focus she could muster. 

“We got a lead on some guns so me and my partner were pretty far out.  That’s when we saw you. Just wriggling in the road.” He explained with a chuckle. “You don’t remember me huh?”

“I was fighting a walker.” Beth responded hesitantly. “Everything went black.”

“One had his eye on your thighs when we showed up.” He said with a smarmy look.

Beth’s heart pounded as she stared at the peas in front of her.  Had he seen the scar or was he just making a dirty joke?  Or both?

“But I got there first.  Jacked that rotter up.” He said overconfidently. “I’m Gorman.”

Beth stayed silent staring at the peas.

“When someone does you a favor, it’s curtesy to show some thanks… Unless you want me to write down everything you’re taking.” He said darkly. “Everything cost something, right?”

Beth didn’t like this man.  She knew that as soon as she heard his voice.  But now the smug look on his face and the undertone of his comments told her that he was someone to stay away from.  He may pretend to be chivalrous but she knew what he was after.  She hadn’t given it up before and he sure as hell wasn’t going to get it.  So without another word Beth picked up one tray of food and headed up to Dr. Edward’s office.

 

The dimly lit hallways twisted and turned, she almost lost her way twice but Beth stopped when she heard a low humming familiar voice wafting through an open door.  Peaking inside she saw Dawn on some sort of work out stationary bike, instead of her usual uniform she donned a t-shirt, sweatpants, and a ball cap, all donning the police logo.  It was odd seeing Dawn look so casual, working out and holding a conversation with the tall boy Beth had seen in the hall way earlier.  He was doing some sort of menial task while Dawn seemed to be berating him.

“We’ll find Joan, but until then you’re taking Jillian’s shift in laundry. She’s locked down in her room until we bring Joan back.  The last thing we need is for Jillian to go looking for her sister and just end up getting herself killed.” Dawn took a swig from her water bottle before continuing.  “And I want my uniform…”

“Washed separately and pressed.” They both said in unison. 

 “I know.” He replied with a weak smile and salute.

“Smart ass.” Dawn shot back, pretending to be annoyed but Beth thought she heard a flirty undercurrent to the statement.

Clearly the boy had heard this speech before which made her wonder how long he’d been there.  Beth continued on her journey before someone noticed her lingering in the hall.

 

The faint sound of music wafted down the empty corridor, growing louder as she approached Dr. Edward’s office.  Beth paused in the doorway with the food tray in her hand to savor the moment; it was like seeing a friend for the first time in years.  Each note lifted Beth’s spirits more and more.

A desk lamp illumined the doctor’s desk.  Papers and books were strewn across the work space and a large painting sat to his right.  In the corner sat an old record player that had obviously been more used in the past couple years than it was in the previous thirty.

“I was beginning to feel that I was drowning in research. Now the oceans are dry and I’m suffocating in boredom.” The doctor sighed.

Dr. Edwards sat back in his chair with his feet up on the desk, causally flipping through a few pages of the book that sat on his lap.  Boredom set in and he tossed it aside into a large pile of old research books just like it.  Beth thought back to the farm, the few occasions she heard Rick’s friend Dale sigh “There was never enough material to read at the end of the world”.  The poor man died over a year ago but Beth couldn’t find fault in that statement.  Her heart ached when she thought about how she’d managed to read about half the books in the library at the prison before everything happened.

“You’re lucky.” Beth informed him. “I you feel safe enough to be bored.  You’re lucky.”

“It’s Junior Kimbrough, you like it?” Dr. Edwards asked.

Beth nodded; she’d never heard of Junior Kimbrough but she enjoyed his expressive sound… and honestly at this point she liked any music.  Her somber mood lightened when she turned her focus back on the music swirling from the record player in the corner of the room.

“I don’t remember the last time I heard a record.”

“It’s one of the few perks I get for being the only doctor here.”

“That and whatever this is…” Beth gave a faint smile as she set the tray of food before the doctor.

“It’s Guinea pig.” He stated, repositioning himself as though he were seated at a dinner table. “Where’s yours?”

“The more I take the more I owe. Right?”

Beth was starting to understand how this all worked and she didn’t want to be stuck there any longer than she had to be.  She started back towards the door so the doctor could eat his Guinea Pig in peace.

“Hey, have you ever tried Guinea Pig?”

Beth shook her head.

“I didn’t think so… I wouldn’t call it a perk.” He said with a small laugh. “Sit down, Dawn doesn’t have to know.”

The doctor cleared off his desk and motioned for Beth to take the seat across from him.  He’d been nothing but kind to her since she woke up all disoriented and scared.  She felt like a heel if she resisted his polite gesture and sat down.  He cut off a piece of the meat and handed her the fork, waiting for her verdict.

“Meh.” Beth mumbled. 

“It’s good enough for Peru.” The kind doctor laughed.

It wasn’t bad, it was just nondescript meat.  Kind of like the small game that Otis and Shaun used to bring home from their hunting trips.

“It’s a Caravaggio.” Dr. Edwards stated when he noticed Beth’s eyes wonder towards the painting. “Found it on the street outside, just thrown out there like trash.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“Well, it doesn’t have a place anymore…” Dr. Edwards said somberly.  “Art isn’t about survival. It’s about transcendence… being more than animals… rising above.”

“We can’t do that anymore?”

“I dunno.”

“I sing… I sill sing.”

Dr. Edwards smiled weakly at Beth’s words.  “For how much longer?”

He looked as though he was going to say something but was interrupted by pounding of feet down the hall towards his office.

“We got a new one.” Dawn poked her head in the door.

 

Dr. Edwards jumped up and sprinted in the direction Dawn disappeared, glancing behind him to make sure Beth was on his heels.  They got to the bustling room as two police officers, a man and a woman, slid a gurney under a bright light.  The poor man was battered and bloody almost from head to toe. 

Beth stood in the doorway observing and waiting for Dr. Edwards to give her direction.  The doctor ripped open the man’s tattered shirt and pressed his cold stethoscope to the man’s bloody chest.  The male officer lingered in the doorway; he leaned over to Dawn and whispered something in her ear.  They exchanged a look that didn’t sit well with Beth but she quickly turned her attention back to the scene unfolding in front of her.

“I found his wallet, his name is Gavin Trivett.” The female officer stated.  “He fell from a first floor apartment trying to get away from some.”

Dr. Edwards had an uneasy look about him when he informed the room about his patient’s status.  “He’s lost a lot of blood, his vitals are dropping… I don’t think he’s going to make it.”

“We’ve already given him gas and…” The male officer started to argue.

“I’ve got this.” Dawn interrupted shooing the offers out of the small room.  She marched over to the doctor and looked him directly in the eye.  “You said you wanted to save people… so save him.”

“I don’t even know the extent of his injuries.” The doctor countered. “Look this one is a loser.  You said you didn’t want me wasting resources.”

“Well today I do.”

Dawn stood still in her work out attire with her hand on her hip, giving the doctor a direct command.  The doctor was silent for a few seconds weighing his options.  Beth could tell he wanted to do his duty and save the patient but the dwindling supplies were too valuable to risk on someone who most likely wasn’t going to make it.  But disobeying a direct order from Dawn was not a good idea, doctor or not.

“Okay,” the doctor turned to Beth. “Plug in the EKG and the ultra sound in that battery pack… go.”

The thought of being useful and helping save a life got Beth’s adrenaline flowing.  Dawn watched from the corner as the doctor and his assistant danced around the room trying to set up the equipment to save their newest patient.  It didn’t take long before the steady beeping of the heart monitor filled the room.

“Good, good, good.” Dr. Edwards assured his assistant. “Now attach these wires to the patient.”

Following the doctor’s directions, Beth peeled the backings of the EKG wires and attached the stickers to their patient’s chest.  She backed off when the doctor swooped in with the ultrasound.  He rubbed the probe around the patient’s chest and looked at the archaic monitor for some results.  The steady beeping of the machines grew increasingly faster until they were a panicking beep.

“Tension pneumothorax., punctured lung,” the doctor explained. “Beth, I need a large hollow needle from that cabinet.”

He reached into his coat pocket and produced a set of keys.  Right before he could hand them to Beth, Dawn swooped in and grabbed them.  She fiddled with them for a second finding the right key, opened up the medicine cabinet and tossed Dr. Edwards the first hollow needle she found.  The doctor ran his fingers over Gavin’s chest to locate the perfect spot and jammed the hollow needle with outstanding force. 

Blood spirted out flicking the ceiling of the room with red droplets.  With every breath the poor patient tried to take in a new geyser of blood spouted from the hollow needle and sprayed about the room.

After fiddling with the needle the patient’s breathing evened out and the monitors were back down to a steady rhythm. Three years ago this would’ve made Beth throw up, but after the things she’d seen this didn’t faze her.  She didn’t know whether or not that was a good thing.

The other two didn’t fare so well.  Dawn stood by eyes wide as saucers looking like it took all of her will power not to throw up.  Dr. Edwards stood over his relatively stable patient and took a few deep breaths to calm the adrenaline that surged through his veins.

“Is he going to make it?” Dawn asked once she regained her composure.

“He fell from a building Dawn.” Dr. Edwards snapped.

“Is. He. Going to make it?” Dawn’s voice rose, each word steeped in authority.

Dr. Edwards let out a sigh of annoyance and flipped up the bottom of his patient’s shirt to reveal a bruised and distended stomach.

“See these bruises? He has internal bleeding but I can’t figure out where.  I need a CAT scan to know how bad.  And even if I could determine that I don’t have to tools to save him.” The doctor explained. “I told you, we don’t have the resources.”

Dawn said nothing; she just stood across from the doctor staring him down.  Her nostrils flared, white hot rage radiated off of her.  She was insulted that the doctor questioned her authority and refused to save his patient.  Without warning she turned to Beth and punched her in the face sending the petite blonde into a metal filing cabinet face first before landing in a jumbled heap on the floor.

The unexpected impact left Beth stunned and the sharp pain took her breath away.  Warm blood mingled with tears as it oozed down Beth’s forehead and into her eyes.

Beth could barely see Dawn turn back to stare down the doctor.

“Steve…” Dawn could barely manage between breaths and clenched teeth. “Try to grasp the stakes here.”

Dawn stormed out of the room leaving the doctor and his bloody assistant behind to wonder what just happened.

 

“He’s stable… for now.” Dr. Edwards mumbled to the floor. “Come with me.”

Beth pulled herself up off the floor, silently following the doctor to her living quarters.  He pulled a suturing kit from his lab coat pocket and sat Beth down on her bed.  Dr. Edwards worked in silence suturing.

“Is she always like that?” Beth broke the ice.

“Only on her bad days.  Unfortunately for us, that’s the only kind she has.” He sighed. “Oh, Noah left you a new shirt.”

“What’s wrong with this one?”

“She likes things neat.” He pointed to the blood stains around top of her shirt.

“She must _love_ your office.”

“We all have ways of making her pay.” He said with a slight smile. “I’ll wait for you outside.”

Like a gentleman, the doctor took his leave so that Beth could change her top in privacy. 

Once she was alone Beth reached up and gingerly touched the throbbing slash in her forehead.  In addition to the stitches she donned along her cheek bone, stitches now slanted from the left side of Beth’s forehead down to where her brow bone met the bride of her nose.  She felt like the bride of Frankenstein, there was no doubt she was going to have some impressive scars.

Beth grabbed the shirt begrudgingly, knowing that taking the shirt added time to her sentence at Grady Memorial but things would be far worse if Dawn caught her roaming the halls with a bloody shirt.  A quiet crinkle sounded from the folds of her new shirt.

Reaching into the pocket she found a little green lollipop.  The kind you got when you were a little kid and had to get a shot at the doctor’s office.  The memory of times gone by brought a smile to her face.  She made a mental note to thank Noah, whoever he was.

 

By the time Beth was fully dressed she heard a loud commotion in the hallway.  She popped out of her room and stood next to Dr. Edwards.  Down the hall two large police officers dragged a thrashing girl into one of the empty rooms.

“Dawn needs you… now.” One of the officers poked his head back into the hall and called for Dr. Edwards.

Beth followed him into the patient’s room.  The girl was still thrashing around and blood oozed from a gaping bite wound on her forearm.  It looked fresh.

Officer Gorman held her feet while Dawn strapped the small wild girl to the table.  Dr. Edwards snuck into the small room and started fiddling with various medical implements.  Beth stood off to the side watching thing unfold.

“She’s lucky we found her.” Dawn turned to the girl with a look of true concern. “Whatever you were thinking, it wasn’t worth it.  Now you have two choices, either you cut off your arm or we do.”

“Screw you.” The girl stared Dawn down with a look of pure hatred.  Then she turned her attention to the officer holding her feet. “And your little bitch.”

“Smart ass whore.” Gorman spat back.

He released the girl’s feet and tried to shove Dawn out of the way.

“Gorman get out of here.” Dawn blocked his path.  After a small stare down Gorman turned and stormed out of the small room.

Dr. Edwards approached the girl with a small syringe full of clear liquid.  Without restraints on her legs the girl tried to kick it out of his hand.

“It’s an anesthetic; you’re going to need it.” He explained.

“Go to hell.” The girl spat.

“She made her choice… now do it.” Dawn said stopping him from injecting the girl.

The doctor went blank.  Beth could see the struggle plain as day.  He had sworn an oath to do no harm, now he had to lop a girl’s arm of without an anesthetic because his superior ordered him not to administer one.

“Do it.” Dawn snapped, bringing him back to the task at hand.

Reaching into his coat pocket he pulled out a thin wire and wrapped it around the girl’s arm twice, just above the bitten area where the flesh was clean and unsullied.

“No! Let me go!” the girl barked.

“No, we can’t let you die.” Dawn screamed back. “We are not going to let you turn.”

Beth cowered in the doorway wondering if this was what it was like when her dad got bit and they had to take his leg.  This poor girl wanted to die, she was in pain and all Dawn could think about was the supplies wasted and the balance the girl would leave behind.  Beth turned to leave; she didn’t want to witness this.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Dawn snapped at her.

“I can’t help.” Beth broke out into tears. “I – I – I can’t…”

“Do you want her to die?” Dawn yelled.

“Beth we need you to hold her down.  Do it now.” The doctor ordered. “Now.”

Beth swooped back into the room and stood at the head of the bed.  Her hands clamped down on the poor girl’s shoulders as she screamed for them to leave her alone.  Hershel would’ve realized that taking the leg was the only option of survival, no matter how slim the chance of recovery.  He had faith but this girl looked like all her faith was gone, in a higher power and in humanity.  Beth could see the darkness in her eyes, she knew it firsthand.

“I’m not going back to…” the girl yelled but she choked the last bit of her sentence.

“You don’t have to.” Dawn reassured her.

“You can’t control them.” The girl spat.

“I will.” Dawn promised.

“Ready?” Dr. Edwards asked.

With a confident nod from Dawn the doctor started the amputation.  Sawing back and forth with his wire, a thin line of red blossomed across the girl’s arm.  Yells turned to screams, screams turned to cries, cries turned to whimpers, finally the poor girl passed out from the pain.

“Follow me. And bring that.” Dawn motioned to the severed arm. “The doctor can finish without you.”

Trying not to wretch Beth wrapped the disembodied limb in a towel and followed Dawn to the elevator shaft.  Familiar sounds floated up from the darkness when the arm was dropped.  Beth noticed that not only were her new scrubs covered in fresh blood but her white cast was now stained crimson.

“Now for God’s sake, go change your clothes.” Dawn muttered.  “Laundry is right around the corner from your room.  I’m going to check on the doctor.”

Back through the double doors and down the windy hall, it didn’t take long to find the laundry room.  Beth slipped in the closed doors.  Standing at an ironing board was the tall boy she’d seen before.  He wrinkled his nose at the sight of her bloodied clothes.

“Hey.” She said quietly. “I’m Beth.”

“Can’t keep clean can you? I set aside another set of scrubs for you.” He said with a smile. “You can get changed in the bathroom.”

“Thank you.”

She slipped in to the bathroom that was attached to the small make-shift laundry room.  It didn’t take long before she emerged with a bundle of bloodied clothes.   Beth watched the muscles in the boy’s lean shoulders as he continued ironing a pair of scrubs.  He was built like a runner, slight but not scrawny, and he looked about Beth’s age.

“You okay?” he asked with actual concern.

There was no way to answer that question.   With the tears that were about to spill from her eyes saying she was fine was not an option.  But saying no, well she didn’t know where to begin on that one.

“I’m Noah.” his voice was smooth and pleasant to the ear. “You know, the lollipop guild.”

“Beth.” She paused. “Thanks for that.”

“I figured you could use a pick me up after this morning.”  He grabbed the blood stained bundle of clothes from Beth and smiled weakly. “I guess I should’ve brought the whole jar.”

“You know what happened with Joan?” Beth couldn’t help but ask. “If she’d have stayed…worked for a while.  Couldn’t she have just left?”

“I haven’t seen it work like that yet.” He laughed darkly, continuing to fold laundry.

“How long have you been here?”

“I guess about a year.”

Beth tried to process the information, wondering why no one would leave this odd place.  Noah saw the confusion written on her face and lifted his left pant leg.  His chestnut skin was marred by a thick scar that coiled around the back of his leg.

“My dad and I were pretty messed up when they found us.  They said that they could only save one.  For the longest time I actually believed them… Now I get it.” Noah explained, lost in the mist of memory. “Dad was bigger… stronger… would’ve fought back.  Would’ve been a threat.”

“They left him behind on purpose.” Beth whispered.  She knew that’s why they didn’t take Daryl.

“Dawn just looked the other way.  She’s in charge but… just barely.  And it’s getting worse.  That’s why I’m out of here when the time is right.” He confided in her. “We came here looking for my uncle.  Now I’ve got to get back to my mom and brothers.”

“Where’s home?”

“Richmond, in Virginia. We had walls.” He smiled, back in the fog of memory. “See… they _think_ I’m scrawny. They _think_ I’m weak. But they don’t know shit about me… about what I am… about what you are.”

He could see a kindred spirit in Beth.  Under estimated, underappreciated, survivors.  No one expected much from them and now together they could prove everyone wrong.

“Where’s home for you?” Noah asked.

“I don’t have one…” Beth sighed. “Our home was invaded by people who wanted what we had and weren’t willing to share, so when it fell everyone got separated and I ended up at a funeral home.”

Beth trusted Noah but not enough to divulge her entire story.

“You better get back before Dawn finds us talking.”  Noah sensed Beth’s hesitation to share more personal details and decided not to pry.

“See you around.” Beth said before she slipped out the door.

 

The sun had gone down hours ago and Beth was relieved to finally make her way back to her room.  With the click of the lock Beth was left alone with her thoughts.  The little blonde curled up in the hospital bed and silently sobbed, trying to block out everything she’d lost in the past few days.  Or at least she thought it was days… she wasn’t sure anymore. 

“Damnit girl stop your crying.” Daryl’s voice popped into her head. “What did they tell you?”

“Nothing…”

“Think.” He said.

Beth stretched out on her back wracking her brain and reviewing her medical knowledge.  A small stinging pain radiated through her shoulder.  She thought of the time Maggie fell of her horse and was dragged a few yards.  She was so angry she threatened to sell her mare but had a change of heart after a few days.  But Beth remembered Maggie had these scrapes all down her back that stung like the dickens, Daddy called them abrasions.

Thinking harder she knew that a contusion was a fancy word for a bruise, a fact that was reinforced when she looked at the dark purple welt that spanned from knee to hip.  The darkest and most painful part of the bruise was a few inches above her knee.  The purple was so dark it was a wonder her legs weren’t broken.

“They hit me with a car.” Beth finally put the pieces together.


	3. Grady Memorial: Day 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 of Beth's new life.
> 
> Will she escape or will she let them bend her until she breaks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is another day of Beth's solo journey. I decided to get rid of another character that I created for this story. I'm thinking that when I finish here I might actually make another story following my original concept but I hit a brick wall with it and couldn't figure out where to go.
> 
> So until then enjoy my re-vamped version that follows some of the events in season 5. I took a number of scenes and aspects from Slabtown and incorporated it in this chapter.

Someone had to clean up all the blood from the previous day’s excitement, and Beth, being the lowest ranking member of Grady Memorial, was given the privilege.  She was watched closely by a female officer while she poured bleach into a bucket.  Beth recognized the female officer; she helped bring in the patient from the day before. 

 “Shepherd, you already pulled a double… let me take it from here.” Dawn’s voice wafted from the doorway.

“Thank you ma’am.”

Shepherd’s spine straightened and she looked a little on edge when she practically ran out of the room.  Beth could tell from body language alone that Shepherd did not like Dawn but she was forced to respect her authority.

Dawn strolled in with a tray of food and sat down on a trash can nearly hidden by the storage room shelves.  Beth’s mouth watered but she wouldn’t give in.  More food meant more time in this place.  Every second Beth could feel her freedom slipping farther and farther away.

“I know you didn’t have breakfast.” Dawn stated.

“I don’t need much… I’m not staying any longer that you need me.”

Dawn stared at the rebellious girl and patted the trash can next to her.  Beth hesitated but decided it was probably best to sit down next to her.  But she was determined to be defiant, sitting tall and staring straight ahead.

“You know you shouldn’t see this as a sentence.” Dawn explained. “I’m giving you food, clothes, protection.  When have those things ever been free?”

“I never asked for your help.”

“But you needed it.  Try to look at the good we’re doing.  Hard as it was we saved Joan’s life… and Trevitt’s life.  We saved YOUR life.  I’m keeping all of us going here, and that is not a small thing.”

Beth didn’t answer she just merely sighed.  The only reason Beth needed saving in the first place was because Dawn’s men mowed her down with their car and kidnapped her.  It was an accusation that, while true, Beth couldn’t afford to make.  She needed to stay underestimated… for now.  So the petite blonde clamped her mouth shut.  Dawn grew more and more agitated as the silence ticked by.

“It’s taken a lot to get us here Beth.  And I believe that what we had before all of this isn’t over.  And when we’re finally rescued… when this nightmare ends… we’re going to need to rebuild.”

“You don’t really think someone is coming for us?” Beth looked Dawn square in the face.

“There’s still people like us Beth… people trying to keep the world alive.  To fix it.  And until then we all have to contribute.  To compromise.  If we take, we give back.  It’s only fair.  So keep working off what you owe and you’ll be out of here in no time… if that’s what you want.”

“It is.”

“Well, then you have to eat.  Otherwise you’ll get weak, you won’t heal, you’ll require more treatment, and you won’t be able to do your job.  I know you didn’t ask for this… I didn’t either.”

Beth hated to admit it but in some ways Dawn was right.  If she didn’t eat she would grow weak and that was pretty much a death sentence.  But she also knew that she would never work off her debt so there was only one way to get out…

To appease Dawn, Beth picked up the tray and started eating the food.  She tried not to think of what it was which made it go down easier.  Dawn hovered, making Beth feel like she was in and eating disorder ward.  Once the food was gone Dawn picked up the tray and disappeared into the hall.

 

Curled up on a chair in the corner of the room was the sad looking girl Beth encountered the day before.  This girl was clearly Jillian, Joan’s sister.  They had the same dark hair and caramel complexion.  Aside from Joan’s missing arm and Jillian’s straight hair, Jillian looked like a slightly younger version of her sister.

Armed with a bucket and mop Beth began her battle with the bloody floor.  She hummed quietly as she worked.  Trying to be fast and efficient but mopping up blood was no easy task.

“That’s really nice.” Joan said quietly.

Beth rested her mop against the wall. “I’ll go get Dr. Edwards.”

“No, please,” The girl pleaded. “Not yet.”

Beth rested the mop against the wall and watched the Joan.  She was so despondent, swallowed up by the darkness that it physically hurt Beth’s heart to see.  The girl’s gaze fell to the stump where her arm had been.  The same arm Beth threw down the elevator shaft before it even cooled.  Tears spilled from Beth’s eyes.

“I’m so sorry.” Beth tried to stifle her sob so she wouldn’t wake up Jillian.

“She can control them.  But she doesn’t because it’s easier.” There was no humor in the girl’s smile.  “Because she’s a coward.”

“What did he do to you?”

“It doesn’t matter… I guess it’s easier to make a deal with the devil when you’re not the one paying the price.”  The girl’s gaze moved from her arm to Beth’s face. “Go on, go get him.”

 

All the patients were in their quarters having quiet time and Beth was no exception.  Once she got the doctor she was dismissed to her room.  She reached under her bed for the bright green lollipop that Noah had given her.

“Lose something?” Gorman’s voice blew in from the doorway.

Turning around she could see the policeman holding her bright green lollipop with a smirk on his face.

“This is yours aint it?”

He pulled the wrapper off and popped it in his mouth.  Slowly swaggering over to Beth.  His eyes roamed up and down her body in a way that made her uncomfortable.

“Sour apple… that kind Dawn acquired from pediatrics.”  He was now standing right in front of her. “I suppose you can have a taste.  See if it rings any bells.”

“I don’t want it.” Beth tried to back up but she was pinned between Gorman and her bed.

“Come on now, I just want to make sure I’m returning this to its rightful owner.”

Beth pursed her lips, fighting to keep her composure.  Gorman inched closer shoving the lollipop into Beth’s mouth, a predatory smile spread across his face.   The trap was set and the fox was about to catch the rabbit.

“Yeah that’s right.” He cooed once the lollipop passed her lips. “That’s right.”

 “Leave her alone.” Dr. Edwards shouted from the doorway.

Gorman backed off a bit and pulled the candy from Beth’s mouth.  Beth’s skin crawled and tears stung her eyes, she felt dirty, embarrassed and angry.  She turned away shyly as though she was caught doing something wrong.    Beth thought of the girl with the dead eyes she had seen on her first trip to the elevator shaft.  She knew that Joan was trying to escape from.  This place was a fresh hell with no escape.

“The girl is mine.” Gorman spat, twirling the lollipop stick between his fingers.

“Nobody’s yours.” The doctor stated. “Gorman… nobody.  And if you think you’re getting Joan back…”

“Oh, I’m gonna get her back.” Gorman stepped towards the doctor. “You think Dawn’s going to stop me?”

“I will.” The doctor protested.

“You stepping up doc?” Gorman asked. “Oh how cute, you want this one yourself.”

“What… no.” the doctor stuttered.  “What happens when you get sick Gorman?  When you get an infection…when you get bit.”

“Oh I think there’s going to be somebody.” Gorman shot back. “Somebody who aint you.”

“Gorman.” Dawn called from the hallway.

“And maybe somebody in charge who aint her.”  Gorman turned to stare at Beth, giving her a wink as he popped the lollipop back in his mouth and strolled out into the hall.

“Why do you stay?” Beth fumed.  “You can leave whenever you want.  Why do you stay here?”

“Come with me.”

 

“Welcome to the ground floor of Grady Memorial Hospital.”   Dr. Edwards said as they walked down a dark hallway a number of floors below theirs. “It’s not a way out.  Actually there’s really no way out… not from here.”

They strolled up to what reminded Beth of blinds that her mama used to have in the bathrooms, the horizontal ones that you could tilt up and down depending on the sun.  On the outside of the giant metal blinds was a chain link fence.  She peered beyond that to a court yard.

“Watch.”

Dr. Edwards picked up a pipe and rand it up and down the metal blinds.  Each clang of the metal brought more and more hissing walkers towards them.

“Why did you bring me here?”

“You asked why I stay.  Every time I start thinking about things I come down here and remember why I stay.” He sighed. “Come on, let’s go upstairs and I’ll tell you a story.  This place creeps me out.”

 

The sunlight was bright against the artificial light inside the building.  Both Beth and Dr. Edwards had to shield their eyes when they walked out onto the rooftop.  Trekking up all the stairs from bottom floor to top was seriously trying but they both needed the exercise.  Now a days there was no such thing as too much cardio.  They took a leisurely walk around the makeshift rooftop garden.

“When this all started Dawn reported to a guy named Hanson.  They had orders to clear the hospital and move everyone to butler park. It was close to midnight when we heard the jets.  The bombs.  The screams.”

They stopped at the edge of the roof overlooking what was left of Atlanta.  The once beautiful city was reduced to no more than ruins and walking corpses.

“I was on the third floor and Dawn and Hanson’s team were doing a final sweep.  I mean we knew it was bad.  We just didn’t know how bad until we came up here.  The city had fallen.  And everyone we evacuated…” he cleared the lump from his throat. “was just gone.”

He sat down on the ledge while Beth looked pensively over the ruined city.

“At first we kept to ourselves til the food ran out.  Then we started going on runs… a few of us at a time.  We’d see people who needed help, barely holding on but we were barely holding on ourselves.  There came a time when I couldn’t look away anymore.  I found this kid, napalm burns on his clothes and skin.  Dawn said we couldn’t spare the resources.  So we struck a deal, I’d use what I could to heal him and he’d compensate us with his services.  Now....”

“You’re not the problem.” Beth reassured him.

“We lost people… that was a problem.  Hanson cracked.  He made some bad calls that got people killed.  Dawn took care of things.  She took care of him.”

He looked at Beth to make sure she was following his story.  She gave a small nod and he continued.

“Kept us going, kept us together, kept us alive.”

“You call this living?”

“I’m still breathing.  The patients we brought here, they’re still breathing.  Outside these walls, alone and unprotected they’d be dead.  We’d be dead.  We’re not the ones who make it.  As bad as it gets, it’s still better than down there.”

“I should get back.” Beth said hollowly.

She was on the verge of breaking down and didn’t want an audience.  She couldn’t afford to look weak

“How about you look in on Mr. Trevitt and call it a day?”

“Okay.”

“He just needs and other 75 milligrams of Clozapine.  Just crush it up.”  He nodded sweetly.  “Then tomorrow, we’ll start fresh.”

“Sure.”

 

Beth tried to force herself to hum something… anything… but her mind was blank.  The music that so readily came to her was a faint whisper, shoved into the dusty recesses of her brain as the weight of her situation pressed down harder.  She finally understood the expectations of people in her position.  She knew she had to get out before the place killed her will to live.

The quiet beep of the machines set a slow rhythm in the small hospital room.  Dr. Edwards walked her through the steps before she went back into the building.  Following the doctor’s orders, Beth grabbed two tablets of Clozapine and crushed them up with mortar and pestle.  She delicately added distilled water, and measured out the proper dosage in a syringe.  Then came the easy part, she thought back to when her daddy taught her how to start IVs in case of an emergency.  She found a straight, non-rolling vein near the surface of the skin.  After making sure to squirt the air bubble out of the syringe, the needle glided in with no resistance and she pushed the plunger administer the liquefied medication.

“Still at it huh?” Noah called from the doorway.

“Hey.” Beth said somberly.

Their conversation was interrupted by the spike in heartbeat; Mr. Trevitt immediately began to size.  All of the alarms attached to him started screaming for help. Beth didn’t know what to do and his seizure grew more violent.  She had done everything exactly how Dr. Edwards told her.

“no… nonononono.” Beth started freaking out. “What –“

Noah ran for help but by the time Dawn, Gorman, and Dr. Edwards got there it was too late.  Dawn grabbed the closest sharp object and jabbed it in the dead man’s temple.

“What did you do to him?” she seethed, waving around the bloody scissors that were still clenched in her fist.

“I-I-I” Beth stuttered.

“He was fine until the two of you were alone with him.” She looked over at Dr. Edwards. “Something happened. Why don’t you go ahead and tell me.”

Beth stared blankly at the corpse.

“It was an accident, Beth left to get some gauze and I was mopping.  I must’ve unplugged the ventilator some how.” Noah lied.  “It only stopped for a minute but I got it working.”

Dawn looked over to Dr. Edwards clearly unconvinced.

“Take him to my office.” Dawn spat.

Gorman grabbed Noah by the arm and pulled him out of the room.

“Dawn it was an accident.” Dr. Edwards pleaded and she filed out behind them.

“That’s not what happened.” Beth said when’s he was alone with Dr. Edwards. “He just started seizing,:

“Seizing? You gave him Clonazepam right?”

“Clozapine …You said Clozapine.”

“No.  I didn’t.  Now we have to take care of the body before it gets cold.”

The sound of Gorman beating Noah floated down the hallway.  Noah tried to sound tough but he was losing that battle.  Beth tried to go explain what happened but Dr. Edwards held her back.

“Stop it!” Beth pleaded.

“You can’t stop it. None of us can.” Dr. Edwards pulled her into a hug.  “Right now we just to what we have to in order to survive.”

Beth’s blood ran cold as the truth sunk in.  The man that defended her and pretended to be her ally used her to make himself indispensable to Grady Memorial.

 “Trevitt was a doctor, wasn’t he? That's why you had me give him the wrong meds, right? Why you had me kill him.” Beth said coolly, stepping away from the doctor.  “'Cause if he had lived, there'd be another doctor and Dawn wouldn't need you.  She wouldn't protect you.”

Dr. Edwards looked both embarrassed and impressed.  “Trevitt was an oncologist at St.  
Ignatius.  I knew him.  They would have kicked me out.  Maybe Gorman maybe he would have killed me.  I didn't have a choice.”

“Use everything you can use.”

“When they arrested Christ, Peter denied being one of his disciples.  He didn't have a choice; they would have crucified him too.”  


 

When the beating stopped Beth was sent to get fresh clothes for Noah while the doctor patched him up.  By the time she arrived a battered Noah was bandaged and propped up in his bead.  Beth was thankful to see no officers or doctors were in sight.  She didn’t think she could handle being in the same room with Dr. Edwards.

“It’s not as bad as it looks. I'm okay. Watch,” Noah protested, poking at the bruised side of this face. “Pain killers… It barely even hurts.”

Beth examined his battered face.  He was bruised pretty badly but nothing was broken didn’t need any stiches.  It looked as though his beating was more for show than to actually inflict pain.

“Dawn needed Trevitt for something.  I know that's what that was about.” He admitted. 

“He was a doctor.”

“Oh shit…” Noah blanched, the events of the past few hours clicked into place.  “Screwed-up thing is, they’re all trapped, too.”

“We're not trapped.  I'm going with you.”

A flicker of hesitation quickly turned to excitement when Noah realized that he would have an ally, he wouldn’t have to do this alone.  With a quiet groan he got out of bed and reached behind his night stand and pulled out a large folded up piece of paper and pen.

“Basement's the fastest way out.  Any noise and we got rotters.” He stated quietly.

“So we won't make noise.”

“I can keep an eye on Dawn.  She keeps a spare key to the elevator banks somewhere in her office.  Think you can find it?”

“Yeah.”

Noah unfolded the paper and laid it out on his bed.  Spread out before them was a map of the surrounding area with a small dot Noah drew in to mark the location of Grady Memorial.

“I was thinking maybe we could start by going to look for my friend.  Then whether we find him or not, we’ll just make our way to your home.” 

“Fine, since it would be closer.  Can you think of anything that would tell us where they took you from?”

Beth poured over the large map unsure of where the funeral home was.  Instead she found the farm she spent so many years of her childhood on.

“This was my home. Like my real home.” Beth explained. “Daddy barricaded us in pretty well and since we lived on a farm we didn’t really have to leave.  Then Rick’s group came… and the walkers followed.”

“That’s a good start…” Noah urged her on.

“Then we walked around for the winter… it was horrible.  But we didn’t stray too far.” Beth found a little marker in the area where she knew the prison was. “We stayed here for 19 months.”

“That’s specific.” Noah gave a weak smile.

“We were there a month when Judith was born…”

“Is Judith your…”

A lump formed in Beth’s throat when she thought of the little girl. Judith might not be biologically hers but for all intents and purposes Beth was the only mother the little girl had ever known.  She pushed Judith to the back of her mind, right now she needed to focus on the task at hand.

“Then what happened?” Noah understood that Judith was a touchy subject.

“A bad man came and blew up our home.  We all got split up and Daryl and I headed East.”

“How do you know that?”

“For one we ran from the East side of the prison… and Daryl’s kind of a wilderness nut.  I remember crossing over train tracks at one point.  That’s when I know we lost Daryl.  There was a really old cemetery near it… I think I saw a sign that called it something wood.  Redwood? Dogwood?”

“I think I found it.  Blackwood cemetery.”  Noah pointed to a small park looking area on the map. “It’s about a day’s walk.”

“So let’s take a car.” Beth said mischievously.

 

Beth was making her bed when Dawn stalked in.  She shut the door behind her.

“You really think I didn’t know?” Dawn asked with an eerie calm. “Noah’s smart.  Probably my best worker.  But that story he told about the ventilator, well the boy’s not much of a liar.”

“If you knew then when didn’t you…”

“I didn’t WANT to I had to.  A good man’s mistakes almost ended everything for us and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let that happen again.”

Silence fell over the room, the only sound was the ticking of the clock as Dawn inched towards Beth.

“Every sacrifice needs to be for the greater good.  The second it isn’t – the second we lose sight of that it’s all over. The thing is… you’re not the greater good.  You’re not strong enough.”

“I am strong.”

“How many people had to risk their lives to save you?” Dawn spat. “In here you are part of a system.  The wards keep my officers happy, the happier my officers are the harder they work to keep us going.  And this hasn’t been easy.  There have been compromises… but it’s working.  And after they rescue us we’re going to help put the world back together.  Because we’re the ones holding on… that’s the good we’re doing here.  That’s the good you’re doing here.  That’s what makes you worth something.  But out there, you are nothing. Except dead or somebody’s burden”

“That’s bullshit.”

“Oh yeah?” Dawn grabbed Beth’s arm and showed her the thin pink line. “I saw this the night you came in.  Is this bullshit too?”

Their gazes locked, they were at a stalemate.  Beth didn’t want to explain, she didn’t need to justify her life choices.  Especially to someone who didn’t know what it was like on the outside.

“Some people aren’t meant for this life and that’s ok.  As long as they don’t take advantage of the ones who are.”

“No one's coming, Dawn.  No one's coming.  We're all gonna die and you let this all happen for nothing.”

Silence crept back into the room.  Dawn let the thought resonate with Beth before she dropped her arm and stormed out into the hall.

“Twenty minutes.” Dawn murmured to someone in the hall.

 

Gorman and two other officers, O’Donnell and Alverado slipped into the room locking the door behind them. They circled around her in their crisp uniforms, badges and name tags gleaming.  Predatory smiles spread across their faces, they could smell the fear and nausea radiate off their pretty when Beth realized Dawn had thrown her to the sharks.

Gorman didn’t make a sound; he just swooped in for a sloppy kiss.  She tried to push him away but he was too big for her small frame to compete with.  All of her protests just seemed to get him more excited as he forced himself on her.  His hands were everywhere, whispering vile things while violating every inch of her body before he shoved her pants down and bent her over the bed.  Tears of anger flowed down her cheeks as he took the last remnant of her old life… the one thing that she promised herself she’d save for the man she intended to spend the rest of her life with. 

O’Donnell and Alverado egged Gorman on as he had his way with their captive.  When Gorman had his fill he let the other two officers have their turns.

After what felt like ages the three men left Beth in a broken pile on the floor.  She got herself cleaned up and curled up in the corner as far away from her bed as possible.  The dark realization that this was now her life washed over her.  There was no escape in sight.

 “You can’t give up now.” Daryl scolded her for even thinking about it.  “It’s not just your life at risk.”

“But…” Beth whispered to the voice in her head.

“No buts princess, you can’t turn into her.” Daryl alluded to the broken girl curled up in her hospital bed a few doors down.

Any other time she’d think she was going crazy, but she knew that this voice egging her on was her only choice.  She couldn’t let the darkness get her, and she couldn’t wait for someone to rescue her – because it would be too late.


	4. Grady Memorial: Day 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah and Beth have put there heads together... with their escape plan work?

Step one of the escape was set into motion.  They needed the key.  Beth grabbed a clipboard and looked busy; no one would notice her wandering if she kept her head down.  Down the hall Dawn had Noah moving things around and rearranging one of the hospital rooms.  Beth and Noah made quick eye contact; this was the time… the only opportunity to execute their plan.

Dawn’s office was unguarded; Beth had no trouble slipping right in.  With the blinds closed and the lights off Beth had just enough light to see what she was doing but the darkness kept her movements hidden from the outside. Hearth pounding, Beth quietly walked over to the large filing cabinet behind the desk.  She paused momentarily to see a framed picture of Dawn receiving an award from her mentor Officer Hanson.  His badge and name tag were displayed next to it with honor.

The first drawer just held papers and the second one was much the same except for a worn leather wallet.  Something didn’t feel right, the hair on the back of Beth’s neck stood up.  Glancing to her left she noticed a pool of blood forming at the edge of an area rug.  Taking a closer look she found Joan’s lifeless body hiding under the desk with scissors still clenched in her hand.  The young woman snuck into the office and popped out her stitches allowing herself to bleed out.  And in doing so she created a nice little surprise for anyone who entered the room after she turned.

A scream caught in Beth’s throat, she couldn’t give away her position.  It would jeopardize the escape plan.  She stepped over the body started rifling through the desk drawers, paying close attention making sure that Joan didn’t turn.  She located the small key and dropped it in her cast.  The soft click of the door closing alerted her to another person in the room.

“Hey there.” Gorman whispered.  “I hope I'm not interrupting.”

“Dawn was just asking for her key.” Beth lied moving away from the desk and avoiding the pool of blood.

“Was she, now? See, I was just with Dawn and I don't seem to remember that.”

Beth’s blood ran cold; she was caught outright in her lie.  Now Gorman was going to put her whole escape plan in jeopardy.

“It's okay.  Maybe she doesn't have to know.” He cooed inching closer. “Maybe there's another solution. You know? A little win-win for both of us.  I know I enjoyed it last night.”

He pinned Beth against Dawn’s desk and started nibbling on her neck.  She looked over to see Joan’s lifeless fingers twitching on the floor.

“So how about it, Bethy? We gonna work something out here?” he whispered in her ear. “I’ll make sure you enjoy it this time.”

All she could manage was a weak nod.

“Good girl. Now, Joan, she's not such a team player.  Lucky for me you're not a fighter.”

_“Fight back Bethy, don’t give up.”  Maggie’s voice sounded in the back of her head._

That was the push she needed.  Beth cleared her head, pulled her arm forward and brought her elbow back with great force as it connected with Gorman’s stomach.  She could hear the air rush out of his lungs when he staggered back.  Anger flashed in his eyes and hand closed around Beth’s throat. 

Beth grabbed hold of the lollipop jar and cracked it over the back of his head.  Gorman fell to the floor with a thud and before he knew what happened the newly turned Joan tore out his throat.  While the walker was distracted with her prize, Beth swooped in and took his side arm and two extra magazines.  She tucked them in the back of her pants and slipped out the office door leaving the dead girl to get her final revenge.

Beth walked down the hall in a daze.  Trying to pretend like nothing was wrong with a gun in her waistband and fresh blood on her shoe.  After a deep breath, Beth slapped on a smile and made her way towards Dawn and Noah at the end of the hall.

“Hey Dawn, Joan said she wants to talk to you.  She’s waiting in your office.” Beth said, attempting to keep her tone even and indifferent sounding.

Once Dawn sprinted down the hall towards her office the duo darted down the twisting hallways towards their destination, pausing briefly to duck into the laundry room.  Noah ruffled through one of the laundry bags and pulled out two back packs while Beth slipped into her old clothes.  Noah was kind enough to wash them when she got there, they were still dingy and speckled with walker blood but it felt good to be out of scrubs.  Her old boots were beyond repair, she opted to keep her tennis shoes slid the thin throwing knives in that small space between her hand and her cast..

Beth could feel Noah’s eyes on her when she tucked Gorman’s gun into the back of her waistband.  They each slung a back pack over their shoulders and set off for the elevator.  Screams of terror echoed through the hall once they reached the elevator shaft.

Beth lit her flashlight and peered down the long dark elevator shaft.  Noah unfurled the long string of old sheets that he tied together to form a bit of a rope.  A soft click brought their attention to Officer O’Donnell standing in the doorway. 

“Shit.” Noah muttered.  

“Leaving so soon?  You just got here… and you have a debt to pay.” Officer O’Donnell crept closer.  “We saved you remember?”

“I wouldn’t need saving if Gorman didn’t hit me with his car in the first place.”

“The others don’t know what you did.  They think Joan was trying to get back at Dawn and that Gorman and Jeffries were at the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“That’s what happened.”

“Bullshit.  I saw the smashed jar.”  Dawn stared Beth right in the eyes. “You’re a cop killer.”

“I would never kill somebody.”

“But you did.” O’Donnell said matter of factly. “What do you think would happen if the others found out?  If you leave now, you’ll look guilty as hell… when they catch you it won’t be pretty.  I can protect you.  Don’t you get that?”

“Not another step.” Noah whipped the gun from the back of Beth’s waist band.

“You don’t have to do this kid.” O’Donnell inched closer.

 O’Donnell took advantage of the distraction rushing Noah and pinning him to the wall.  They tussled for the gun but it dropped out of Noah’s hand and skidded across the floor falling down the dark elevator shaft, lost to the living.  Noah managed to break free and elbow O’Donnell in the chest, Beth watched as her friend started gaining the upper hand.  But it didn’t take long for O’Donnell to gain his bearings and pin Noah to the wall by the neck.

Beth couldn’t let O’Donnell win.  She launched herself out of the corner straight at O’Donnell’s back, cracking him on the back of the head with her large plaster cast.  With a quick elbow to the sternum O’Donnell sent Beth flying to the ground.

“Stay in your lane bitch.” He spun around and spat at her.

That caused enough of a distraction for Noah to give him a quick blow to the throat, knocking the wind out of him.  Noah landed another kick into his stomach sending the officer staggering back towards the open elevator shaft

“BETH!” Noah yelled

The little blonde scrambled up off the floor and with one good push sent O’Donnell into the blackness.  There was a quick scream before he hit the side of the elevator shaft with a sickening noise and went silent.  There was a soft thud but no angry hisses of hungry walkers when he hit bottom.  Both wards walked to the elevator doors and stared into the blackness.

“Thank you.” Noah managed between big gulps of air. “Ready?”

“Yeah.”

“Once you’re safe, I’ll climb down.” He assured her, wrapping a nice length of the make shift rope around her petite frame.

“Okay.”

Beth said a little prayer before she started down the elevator shaft, praying that her weight would hold, that they’d make a getaway, and that she’d find Maggie or Daryl.  She was going to need her sister when all this was over.  Noah secured one end of the rope to a nearby pipe and wedged himself next to the elevator so he could lower Beth down.  She dropped down a few feet holding on to the edge of the elevator door frame searching for a hand hold.  Slowly Noah released some of the rope and Beth descended.  Occasionally he let too much loose and she banged against the wall.  Her heart pounded so hard she felt as though her ribs were going to break, but finally she hit the bottom of the elevator shaft.  She tugged twice and moved to the opposite side so Noah would have enough room to descend.

His long legs flailed and he was descending too quickly without a proper anchor.  Beth had Noah to rely on but all Noah had was the pipe on the wall.  Mere feet above the ground and arm reached through a crack in the shaft wall and made a grab for Noah.  Taken off guard he panicked and let go of the rope falling six feet down and landing into a pile of discarded bodies.  He was breathing hard and clutched his bad leg.

Beth jumped into the pile of bodies with him.  She scurried to his side to look him over.

“Noah? Noah?” Beth pleaded, “Noah? Can you walk?”

“Yeah, I'm okay.” He regained his composure.

O’Donnell’s corpse was at the top of the corpse pile; Beth took his duty belt and shoved it into the bag on Noah’s back.  They worked their way to a hole in the elevator shaft where the walkers came to feed on the bodies that were sent down the elevator shaft.  They both fought to keep their breathing under control in hopes of not tipping off the walkers.  Beth handed Noah the flashlight, pulled her gun and latched the safety.

“There.” Noah pointed at the thin crack of sunlight that seeped through the partially opened door at the other side of the room.

They made their way to the sunlight.  Noah was grabbed by a walker but Beth swooped in and crushed it’s skull with her cast.  Noah looked both impressed and horrified.  They made their way towards the door.  By the time they emerged into the daylight Beth took down five walkers.

Running was always something Beth was good at, a group of walkers stood between them and freedom.  She laid down cover so that Noah could make his way towards the gap in the fence towards the three working cars. She was hot on his heels but Alvarado swooped in from the side and grabbed her by the arm. 

“Drop the gun.” he murmured in her ear.

Alvarado’s vice like grip on Beth’s arm gave her no other option than to comply, dropping her gun and kicked it a few feet away.  Out of the corner of her eye Beth could make figures emerging from all sides and pressing themselves against the chain fence, they weren’t human.  It wouldn’t be long before they busted the fence, it was already starting to bend with the pressure.  All the gunshots and screaming clearly attracted unwanted attention, it wouldn’t be long before more showed up. 

“He made you give up your gun but check your hip.” Daryl’s voice reminded her.

Beth slowly reached for her belt while the officer was distracted by the noise at the fence.  Noah’s eyes grew wide when Beth unsheathed the hunting knife.  Beth used all her force to bring her elbow back to connect with the soft fleshy part of the cop’s abdomen.  She didn’t have enough force to knock him over but his shock loosened his grip enough for Beth to spin around and burry her knife into his ear.  Beth felt nauseous when the light in his eyes dimmed and he crumpled to the ground.

She scooped up her weapon and squeezed through a hole in the fence.  Noah was waiting on the road in one of the gassed up cars.  Beth just managed to slip into the passenger’s seat before Dawn’s people started shooting.  A couple bullets managed to clip the car before Noah peeled away.

“Shit.  They’ll know where we’re going.”

“They’re not going anywhere.” Noah dumped a handful of spark plugs into Beth’s lap. “Five more minutes and you can dump them out the window… just in case they feel like going for supplies in the near future.”


	5. Story Update

**Hello my lovely readers.  Sorry it has taken me so long to update.** **I honestly hit a block with where this story was going so I decided to go back and follow some of the plot lines in Season 5.** **You might want to re-read the first chapter because I added in a few things that may or may not become important later on down the line.**

 

**I always love to hear your feed back, the more the better.  So leave a comment whether it's a theory, suggestion, critique, or even to just stop by and say hi.**

 

Side note: what do you all think about a Rick/Beth pairing versus a Daryl/Beth pairing?  I'm not saying that it's going to happen but I had an interesting discussion about the idea of Rick/Beth with a friend the other day.  (While we were watching Fear The Walking Dead)


	6. Tracker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beth finally puts her education to use.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual I love your feed back... so bring it on.

With the help of their trusty map it took Beth and Noah about an hour to make it back to the funeral home.  No walkers were in sight when they rolled onto the gravel driveway.  Noah turned the engine off and they sat in silence for a few minutes.  They agreed that Beth would quietly scout the area, at the first sign of trouble she’d hurry back to the car and they’d continue on their way.

The front of the house was clear except for a few stragglers but she systematically snuck up behind each walker and shoved the hunting knife through the back of their skull like she’d seen Daryl and Maggie do so many times. 

Beth made her way around the back of the house to check for any walkers or vulnerable spots.  The coast was clear; no walker in sight except for the one she took down the night before.  Her bag lay on the ground untouched.  She scooped it up and continued to clear the house.  She killed four slow ones before she made it to the front door.  The tin can alert system Daryl and rigged was still standing firm on the borders of the porch.

Inside dead walkers were strewn everywhere, some even had Daryl’s broken bolts sticking out of their eye sockets.  She searched every face, praying that she wouldn’t find anyone she knew.  There were only a few walkers that were still hissing, but she made short work of them before checking the doors and windows.  Everything was locked up tight.  She waved Noah in and started piling the corpses on the porch, hoping that the smell would stay outside to ward off any unwanted guests.

The travelers quietly settled at the kitchen table. Noah laid out three pig’s feet and three jars of baby food.  Beth’s eyes misted over as she looked at the smiling baby on the front of the jar.  Her thoughts went to how she failed Judith, she couldn’t keep her safe.

“Who made these?” Noah held up one of the arrows Daryl taught Beth to make.

“I did.” Beth said shyly. “Well Daryl and I did.”

“Daryl, who’s he?” Noah asked. “You mentioned him a couple times.”

How could Beth put Daryl into words?  He was grumpy and sometimes mean but he was fiercely loyal with a big heart.  He used his hardened exterior as a shell to protect him from the world finding out that he did care… he cared a little too much.

“We traveled together.” That was the easiest way to explain it.

“Like together together?” Noah pried with a sly smile.

“It’s not like that…”

“Then how is it?”

“We’re family… well not blood family.  But the day my daddy was killed and our home was destroyed Daryl and I got separated from the rest of the group.  He’s saved me so many times since then.”

Beth blinked back the tears; it had been days since she thought about him… her daddy was the only one that was truly looking out for her all this time.  Now he was gone, and so was everyone else.  She had to find them, someone had to be alive.

“How long ago was this?”

“I think a week maybe... I don’t know I lost track.”

“Jesus.”

“If I start crying, I don’t think I’ll stop.” Beth stared at the table.  “He left the bolts, and what little we had to come chasing after me, I have to find him.  I know you don’t understand but he’s all I have left.”

“You should come to Virginia with me.”

 “Can we look for Daryl?  Or at least look for him before we start out for Virginia.”

“The car doesn’t have that much gas.” Noah protested.

“We can go to the last place I remember seeing him and if we don’t pick up any sign of him we can continue on.” Beth rationalized.  “I’ve been gone about three days but it looks like hasn’t rained since we were separated.  If I can’t pick up his tracks in the morning then I’m not likely to at all.  I just don’t want to live the rest of my life wondering if I could find him.”

“Fine.”  Noah agreed reluctantly.  “For the record, I think we should keep moving.”

“Let me round up some stuff, and then we can get going.”

When Beth finished her meal she snuck upstairs to the room that Daryl found a spare shirt.  There had to be something left in that closet, because anything was better than what he had.  Unfortunately the only thing left was Daryl’s discarded flannel button down with the sleeves cut off.  Beth was too tired to be disgusted with the fact that she was putting on Daryl’s dirty shirt, anything was better than the shredded and bloody polo she currently donned. 

In this new world everyone smelled, no one really had the time or means for a shower.  Beth noted as she buttoned up the old shirt that it smelled distinctly Daryl, sweaty and masculine with the hint of the outdoors.  It wasn’t a bad smell; it was oddly comforting for Beth. 

Beth pulled the case off of a small satin pillow in the empty coffin Daryl used as a make shift bed a few nights before.  She scurried into the kitchen, gathered up all the bolts and shoved them in the pillowcase, securing it to her backpack.  She grabbed bottles of water and whatever food she could fit in the case until her go bag was overflowing.

“Okay, let’s go.” Beth smiled, genuinely excited to move forward and find any one of the few people she had left in this world.

 

They slid into the car and drove for a while until they reached a fork in the road, one side crossed the tracks while the other ran parallel.  The car came sputtering to a stop and the hood started smoking.  Beth didn’t know cars very well but she knew this wasn’t a good sign.

“Son of a bitch!” Noah slammed his hand on the steering wheel.

They got out of the car, Beth took watch while Noah looked under the hood.  Beth noticed some dry blood on the ground with something sticking out of it.  Curiosity got the best of her and she wondered over to the spot to get a closer look.

Sticking out of the dry blood was a white feather, not just any white feather either.  It was a piece of fletching from one of Daryl’s bolts.  Carefully Beth yanked the feather out of the dry blood and walked over to Noah.

“Car’s out of gas.  We’re going to have to follow the tracks on foot.”

“Look what I found.” Beth beamed as she held up the white feather.

“It’s a bloody feather.”

“No, it’s a piece of fletching.”

“What?”

“It’s the feather at the end of arrows or crossbow bolts.” Beth explained. “I just made a ton of these, this one belongs to Daryl.”

“It’s a feather.”

Rolling her eyes, Beth pulled a new bolt out of the satin pillow case. She held the bloody fletching up to one of the homemade ones for her companions to make the comparison.

“This just means he was here.” Noah stated.

“And probably followed the tracks.” Lorena smiled weakly. “Maybe he’s headed where we want to go!”

Beth walked over to the train tracks; there were a relatively undisturbed set of boot prints, prints that she spent hours memorizing in the woods.  She also noticed a half dozen unfamiliar foot prints but this was their best lead.

“I think I can track him.” Beth stated confidently.

“Then we’ll go that.” Noah agreed. “The car’s a bust so we’re never going to get home.  We might as well find some sort of civilization.”

Beth hoisted her backpack high on her shoulders and crouched down like she was taught and took the lead.  Checking for signs of foot prints, displaced rocks, disrupted dirt, or any sort of indication telling her where Daryl was going.  They followed the tracks for hours, every now and then Daryl’s voice would perk up in Beth’s head reminding her of the things she learned. 

The sun was starting to dip in the afternoon sky, from what Beth could gather it was about three in the afternoon and Noah was in desperate need of a rest. Beth was too but she was too fixated on her job at hand to acknowledge her fatigue. 

Noah hadn’t said a word since they left the car and he was falling increasingly farther behind.  He clearly hadn’t been out in the elements since he messed up his leg, they were going to have to pace themselves because being hasty could get you killed. 

 

“There’s a few displaced rocks over there… what does that mean?” Daryl asked in Beth’s head.

“It means they went that way… but why?” Beth whispered to herself.

“Why would anyone get away from the open tracks?”  Daryl asked.

“There’s no sign of a struggle or running… so it wasn’t walkers.” Beth theorized.  “Shelter, they needed shelter for the night.”

“Who’s they?” Noah looked at her with concern; clearly she’d been talking to herself louder than she thought.

“Whoever is with Daryl.  They got off the tracks, which means there’s shelter nearby.” Beth explained. “It’s not a good idea to be out in the open or travel in the dark.  It makes you too susceptible to the walkers.  Daryl would’ve known that – so they would’ve found a place to hole up for the night.”

“We have a few hours of daylight left.” Noah protested. “We can cover more ground if we keep going.”

“But then we run the risk of being out in the open after dark.” Beth countered.  “Not to mention their tracks are heading in a different direction.”

“Fine, let’s rest for a little while and continue on.” Noah compromised.

 

They sat long enough to share a jar of baby food and drink some water before continuing on.  There were no sign of Daryl’s foot prints, Beth had to fight every urge to go back and look for him.  They needed to continue on, Noah’s limp was getting worse the more he walked. 

The travelers stopped in their tracks when they saw a sign reading “Terminus, those who arrive survive”. With a map of the local area showing that all the train tracks lead to the stared safe haven.  Beth remembered the dying man who warned her and Daryl to stick to the tracks.  This is what he must’ve meant.

“We should go.” Noah said as he examined the sign. “There have to be at least a few people from your group to make it there.”

“I guess that’s our only option at this point.” Beth reluctantly agreed.  Maybe some of her people were there too.

Noah stopped dead in his tracks, his face paled when a walker came into view.  It was laying on the tracks unable to get up.  Beth swiftly ran up behind it and sunk her hunting knife deep into the walker’s skull. Her companions looked at her uncomfortably while Beth wiped the knife off on her pants.  She was getting increasingly more confident and possibly reckless when it came to dispatching walkers. 

The sun was dipping low in the sky; they only had a few more hours of visibility.  Beth noticed four sets of foot prints, two large and two small size.  Something about them peaked her interest.

 

“What do you see?” Daryl asked.

“Four foot prints.  Two big two small.”

The only response was one of the typical “go on” grunts that Daryl was famous for.

“That means two adults and two children.  The one small set of foot prints steps harder on the right side than the left, the prints are deeper.  I noticed that on one of the adults but it stopped once this started.”

“Mhmm…”

“They’re carrying something and switching off.  Something heavy…” Then it dawned on Beth. “A baby.”

She prayed with all her heart and soul that God would grant her this one thing… please let it be Judith. 

That’s when she spotted it, a small cottage in an open grove surrounded by a barbed wire fence and peach trees.  It looked as though the previous occupants had left there in a hurry because part of the gate was knocked down.  Beth quietly approached the cottage and surveyed the area, the gate was a quick fix, and she just had to stand it upright.  There was no sign of any walkers on the premises, just a few dead ones outside the fence.  A few of which looked burnt, Beth wondered how that happened.

They were almost at their destination when Beth noticed something in the bushes, a small pink sock.  Not just any small pink sock, the small pink sock she put on baby Judith the day the prison fell.  She shoved it in her pocked and beamed all the way to the cottage. 

Beth left her companions outside while she went in to do a clean sweep.  There was no sign of walkers.  The small cottage itself had two bed rooms with an adjoining bath, small kitchen and sitting room. They discovered that there were two great big peach trees, a stash of candied pecans, and a well of fresh water out back.  Beth and Noah ate their fill of peaches and nuts and drank as much water as they could before the closed up the cabin for the night. 

Beth spotted the puzzle on the table but she was too tired to even entertain the idea of working on it.  Instead they all retired for the night.  Beth rigged up an alarm system on the porch like Daryl taught her and took first watch.  She longed to sing or hum to pass the time but the music evaded her.  The silence filled the dark; all she could hear was Noah’s peaceful snoring in the next room. 

 

.

 The next morning Beth woke up, she felt more rested than she had in days.  Noah was kind enough to set out a little plate with peaches and pecans.  After they ate Beth gathered up her things  and packaged up some peaches and pecans to take with them. 

When she was done, Beth noticed Noah grimly sitting on a bench outside.

“What are you up to?” Beth asked sweetly.

“Sitting here thinking.”

“About what.”

“I thought maybe we could stay here.  I was going to suggest it… but then I saw this and realized that it’s not safe out here just the two of us.”  Noah pointed to three crosses that adorned the back yard.

Crosses like these always sent shivers down her spine.  There were too many in the court yard at the prison.  Much like these. There was a knot in Beth’s stomach as she got up and walked over to the freshly dug graves.  Two looked fresh and the third had a pair of baby booties hanging off the cross.  Looking closely Beth noticed writing on the cross part of the graves. Beth collapsed to her knees when she read the names “Mika” and “Lizzie”. 

“Beth!” Noah materialized beside her, crouching down to put and hand on Beth’s shoulder. “Did you know these people?”

Beth tried to explain but her throat closed up and sobs racked her body. She couldn’t bring herself to look at the third cross.  She had failed these children.  It was her responsibility to get them on the bus, and who knows what fate they had succumb to.

“Look.” Daryl ordered.

“I’m not looking you sick bastard.” Beth spat at the voice in her head.

“Damnit girl, what do you see?” The voice barked.

Beth wiped the tears from her eyes and looked at the third grave.  The booties were weather worn and nothing she’d put on Judith, but maybe they found some in the house.  There was no name on the cross, but whoever dug these graves either couldn’t bring themselves to put the little girl’s name up or they didn’t know her name.  Beth reached out and touched the dirt.

“The ground has settled… this one is a lot older than the other two.” Beth laughed.

“Mhmmm…”

“It’s got to be older than two weeks.” Beth continued walking herself through the deduction. “Which means that this was made and filled before we left the prison.  Judy could still be out there…”

The thought left her numb.  She mourned for Mika and Lizzie but she felt a great relief wash over her at the thought that Judith could still be alive.  Noah crouching next to her the best he could, looking at her with fear and confusion not understanding the internal conflict that Beth just went through.

“When we left the prison, I got separated from everyone when I went back to find the children but they were gone.  Daryl and I found… pieces of two of the children before we got separated.  Two more are buried here.  That leaves just the baby, and if she’s still alive God only knows who she’s with.” Beth explained.

“I think we should go.” 

The duo picked up their bags and set out following the two pair of foot prints leading out of the grove.


End file.
